MEDIA ADVISORY

Secretary of State Alex Padilla to Testify on Elections Innovations at Joint Elections Committee Hearing

Secretary of State Alex Padilla will testify at a joint oversight hearing of the Senate and Assembly elections committees regarding his recent trip to observe municipal elections in Denver, Colorado. The testimony from Secretary Padilla, as well as other elections officials and voter interest groups, will focus on Colorado's innovative election reforms that have resulted in increased voter turnout. Secretary Padilla sees Colorado ' s success as a potential model for California.

California ranked 43rd in voter turnout among all states and the District of Columbia for the November 4, 2014 General Election. By contrast, Colorado ranked 3rd nationally for the same election. Much of Colorado’s success has been attributed to meaningful changes in how they conduct elections, including sending every voter a vote-by-mail ballot, providing numerous ballot drop-off sites, and replacing precinct-based polling places with centrally-located voting centers that are open every day for 10 – 14 days prior to each election.

WHAT:

The Senate Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments, chaired by Senator Ben Allen, and the Assembly Committee on Elections and Redistricting, chaired by Assemblymember Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, will conduct a joint oversight hearing on the Colorado model of elections with reports from California observers.